I have had the privilege of owning 2 BMW's in my lifetime and as much as I enjoyed having them and driving them I'm thinking this is starting to get a tad wee bit out of hand. Why would I want to pay 47K for a 335i especially since it seems that the quality has gone down and BMW is beginning to think about it's bottom line rather than it's customers. I just don't get it, I was planning to buy one next spring but after configuring one at bmwusa I'm starting to have second thoughts....

Does anyone agree here? I know it costs to play but seriously this is crazy....

FYI - the way I configured it was a 335i sedan, with Sports, Premium, Cold Weather, CA, and Auto.

You can partly thank the strength of the dollar, and our jacked up way of issuing money from the Federal Reserve out of thin air. BMW's prices are only going to go up unless we do something drastic about our domestic fiscal policies. Plug...Ron Paul for President!

Crazy or not, your paying for the name, the reputation, and blah blah blah.....I dont think its too much and I mean its BMW......its Mercedes....its Audi, Porsche.......its Ferrari.....its Bentley.............its just the way it is man, there are different clients in different markets for different things that are able and willing to pay at the given prices (equilibrium).

Be happy that BMW doesnt compensate for the Euro to Dollar exchange rates. Have you ever asked people outside of the USA what a BMW costs? It can cost almost twice as much as it would in the USA. So poor quality or whatever you want to pin to it. BMW's namesake was never really geared towards readily available cars whose price was easily accepted by the general public. Yes, you could argue that that reputation was a thing of the past back when they still had extremely well made vehicles. And yes, you could argue what the point of the 2002 was. However, nothing changes the fact that BMW was not meant to be a cheap auto manufacturer with great low prices, so the advent of the 3 series and now the 1 series has somewhat allowed the company to slightly delve into the entry level and some what sub premium markets, but thats about it.

So yes, 47k for a 335i sounds ok, but 55k sounds great, even better! Becasue then you know its been loaded up with the much needed options (most of which should come standard anyway, like power seats and leather). Like anything else, either create a plan to somehow obtain what you want, or just accept defeat and leave it be until you can obtain it. So if 47k for a 335i is too much for someone at this point, then theres nothing wrong with accepting that and just saving up for a little while longer and making do with whatever you can afford. I personally think that despite its minor electrical issues, the 335i is a great car and is worth every penny. I mean hell in comparison to similar cars in the price range, your getting an extremely tunable car, with great performance specs out of the box, with a great reputation, stunning looks, great creature comforts, and much more for under 60K (options and taxes included)

FYI - the way I configured it was a 335i sedan, with Sports, Premium, Cold Weather, CA, and Auto.

That's a nicely equipped 335i..the price seems right to me.

Keep in mind that the car is turbo'd..so the price has to go up somewhat and the 3 will no longer be the entry level BMW. For around the $50,000 mark..there is no other car that has everything this car has to offer. The closest competitor is the S4, but that's noticeably more expensive.

you beat me to it...i grew up in germany and have family and friends all over the place, which ofcourse results in frequent visits. everytime i go over there, i realize how inexpensive "CARS" in general are in the States. whether its a scooter or an exotics and everything in between...price difference is insane especially after you do the conversion from Euro to USD

I have had the privilege of owning 2 BMW's in my lifetime and as much as I enjoyed having them and driving them I'm thinking this is starting to get a tad wee bit out of hand. Why would I want to pay 47K for a 335i especially since it seems that the quality has gone down and BMW is beginning to think about it's bottom line rather than it's customers. I just don't get it, I was planning to buy one next spring but after configuring one at bmwusa I'm starting to have second thoughts....

Does anyone agree here? I know it costs to play but seriously this is crazy....

FYI - the way I configured it was a 335i sedan, with Sports, Premium, Cold Weather, CA, and Auto.

I thought someone here estimated you can get an e90 3 series sedan for 43k with options.

I have had the privilege of owning 2 BMW's in my lifetime and as much as I enjoyed having them and driving them I'm thinking this is starting to get a tad wee bit out of hand. Why would I want to pay 47K for a 335i especially since it seems that the quality has gone down and BMW is beginning to think about it's bottom line rather than it's customers. I just don't get it, I was planning to buy one next spring but after configuring one at bmwusa I'm starting to have second thoughts....

Does anyone agree here? I know it costs to play but seriously this is crazy....

FYI - the way I configured it was a 335i sedan, with Sports, Premium, Cold Weather, CA, and Auto.

Yes, and a G37 with the same options is 44k. wow! Big difference!
Not to mention that the 335 is faster and better to drive.

i know. but yet, i feel like the biggest jackass on this forum. i coughed up 80k for an '07 E90 320i

Ouch you guys have it bad. Here in Canada an E90 335i starts at 49 or 50k which is obviously more than the US, but still reasonable vs Audi and Volvo for example. I priced an A3 with a friend recently and fully loaded it made $55k plus delivery, fees and taxes, now that's ridiculous for an A3.

Agreed ^....just be happy you're not trying to buy one in New Zealand.

let alone Australia where i have to fork out $110 000 for a e92 335 m-sports I wish we down under got these cars at 47-58k range. People in the States are driving 911 turbo's at the price im getting my car.

See, you can't say I paid 80k here, or take a local currency and convert it. It doesn't work that way. That way, someone in the UK would only pay 27k Pounds for it. It STARTS at 34k Pounds, which would convert to 68k or so US. You have to take a look at the local market in which the car's being sold. If you look at Australian dollars, it starts at $108900. That's $95171US. So, what does the dollar buy you there? Is it the same as what it wil buy you here?

Just doing a currency conversion like that doesn't show you much of anything other than what the conversion rate it. It's the local economy. Is a $45k car within the US the same value as a $108k Aus car within the outback?

I have had the privilege of owning 2 BMW's in my lifetime and as much as I enjoyed having them and driving them I'm thinking this is starting to get a tad wee bit out of hand. Why would I want to pay 47K for a 335i especially since it seems that the quality has gone down and BMW is beginning to think about it's bottom line rather than it's customers. I just don't get it, I was planning to buy one next spring but after configuring one at bmwusa I'm starting to have second thoughts....

Does anyone agree here? I know it costs to play but seriously this is crazy....

FYI - the way I configured it was a 335i sedan, with Sports, Premium, Cold Weather, CA, and Auto.

is that fully load option ? i have seen 47K on e90 out door with fully load option . that would be a steal.

Crazy or not, your paying for the name, the reputation, and blah blah blah.....I dont think its too much and I mean its BMW......its Mercedes....its Audi, Porsche.......its Ferrari.....its Bentley.............its just the way it is man, there are different clients in different markets for different things that are able and willing to pay at the given prices (equilibrium).

Be happy that BMW doesnt compensate for the Euro to Dollar exchange rates. Have you ever asked people outside of the USA what a BMW costs? It can cost almost twice as much as it would in the USA. So poor quality or whatever you want to pin to it. BMW's namesake was never really geared towards readily available cars whose price was easily accepted by the general public. Yes, you could argue that that reputation was a thing of the past back when they still had extremely well made vehicles. And yes, you could argue what the point of the 2002 was. However, nothing changes the fact that BMW was not meant to be a cheap auto manufacturer with great low prices, so the advent of the 3 series and now the 1 series has somewhat allowed the company to slightly delve into the entry level and some what sub premium markets, but thats about it.

So yes, 47k for a 335i sounds ok, but 55k sounds great, even better! Becasue then you know its been loaded up with the much needed options (most of which should come standard anyway, like power seats and leather). Like anything else, either create a plan to somehow obtain what you want, or just accept defeat and leave it be until you can obtain it. So if 47k for a 335i is too much for someone at this point, then theres nothing wrong with accepting that and just saving up for a little while longer and making do with whatever you can afford. I personally think that despite its minor electrical issues, the 335i is a great car and is worth every penny. I mean hell in comparison to similar cars in the price range, your getting an extremely tunable car, with great performance specs out of the box, with a great reputation, stunning looks, great creature comforts, and much more for under 60K (options and taxes included)

let alone Australia where i have to fork out $110 000 for a e92 335 m-sports I wish we down under got these cars at 47-58k range. People in the States are driving 911 turbo's at the price im getting my car.